


Little Firefly

by Fiery_Mullet



Series: Keitor Month 2018 Fics [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Role Reversal, Angst, Keitor, Keitor Month 2018, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-05
Updated: 2018-04-05
Packaged: 2019-04-18 22:06:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14222766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fiery_Mullet/pseuds/Fiery_Mullet
Summary: For Keitor Month 2018. Day 3: Role swap AU. (Sorry it’s late! ^^) When Lotor snuck into a Galra ship on one of his Blade missions, he never expected company. Least of all, not the Prince of the Galra empire.





	Little Firefly

“Kolivan, I’m inside.” A masked man clad in a tight-fitting black suit with purple accents spoke quietly, hiding behind a wall and staying out of the sight of patrolling Galra sentries.  

 

“Good, now head straight from where you are. Our operative there has already switched places with the guards assigned to the main bridge. So once you get there, download all the intel you can from the main computer. That should give us all the information we need on where that ship is headed and exactly what they’re transporting.”

 

As soon as the sentries passed and were far enough, he ran- his trained footfalls so quiet it was almost as if his feet weren’t touching the floor- and headed straight to his destination. Just as Kolivan said, their contact nodded to him and left the storeroom to stand guard by the door.

 

His mask disappeared before he pulled his hood back, letting his long silver hair fall to his back. He took out the small chip hidden in a slit on his gloves and put it inside the computer then began the download process.

 

While the data was being transferred, he looked at the screen showing the images from the surveillance cameras. All other screens were showing sentries patrolling the ship save for one- the hangar where a fighter had just landed. But instead of sentries, four female generals got off, followed by a much smaller figure sporting dark mullet locks.

 

“Kolivan, are you seeing this? It looks like we’ve got company. Why is a child escorted by his nannies on board this ship? And more importantly, who is he?”

 

“Lotor, that is no ordinary child. I thought I told you to read up on the imperial family.” Kolivan scolded.

 

Lotor sighed. Politics was just not his thing. It was enough for him to know what their enemies, Zarkon and his witch, looked like. But this child intrigued him, why was someone so small waltzing around a classified ship that even the Blades of Marmora took a long time to find and had difficulty gaining high-level access to?

 

“That is Zarkon’s son, Prince Keith.”

 

“Hm…? Interesting…”

 

“Lotor. Once you download the intel get out of there right away. Do not engage, you hear me? I repeat, _do not_ engage. I’ve only seen the prince in battle a few times. He may be small but to underestimate him would cost you dearly.”

 

“Understood.”

 

As soon as the data finished downloading, he took the chip back out and went out of the room. He nodded to their operative, who nodded back and went on his way. But as soon as he left, Lotor went back into the main bridge and swiftly got up to one of the vents.

 

 _‘He said not to engage, but he didn’t say not to watch. Might as well take this rare opportunity to gather more intel. On the prince.’_ Lotor thought, a smirk playing on his lips as he stayed hidden inside the cramped duct.

 

-x-

 

Now this was certainly odd. Lotor frowned pensively as he watched the surveillance cameras’ main monitor. This was the son of Zarkon, prince and heir to the throne of the great Galra empire, and yet he was coming in no different from the way Lotor did- by avoiding sentries. Why was the boy and his nannies sneaking into the ship? Just what were they up to?  

 

And just as Lotor predicted, it was not long before the prince and his companions came into the bridge. He was fair-skinned for a Galra, Lotor mused, and considerably smaller than average.

 

 _‘I wonder if he was shielded from overexposure to quintessence in some way…’_ Lotor mused, unable to look away from the prince’s face.

 

“Okay, remember to stick to the plan.” Keith spoke.

 

_‘The prince has a nice voice, too.’_

“Ezor, Narti, get to the escape pods and get them ready for takeoff. Acxa and Zethrid will lure the general, his men, and all the remaining Galra on board to you there. Narti, wipe out their memories so if Hagar submits them to questioning they won’t remember a thing. I’ll override the ship’s commands and set the coordinates for the nearest sun so this whole thing explodes.”

 

“Keith, are you sure this is okay? If Haggar somehow finds out that you sabotaged Lord Zarkon’s weapons delivery we don’t know what they’ll do to you.” The one the prince called Ezor spoke with a worried voice that seemed to belie the bubbly personality she showed earlier on the screen.  

 

“She’s right, Keith. Even if you _are_ the prince, we don’t know if your father will spare you.” Acxa, the level-headed looking one nodded in agreement.

 

“Hmph! I doubt it. Especially if that old hag has something to say about it.” The big one grunted, Lotor inwardly agreed from his hiding spot. The witch was apparently ruthless, after all.

 

The other one did not say anything, however, the cat- which had been perched on her shoulder until then- jumped off and trotted over to Keith, circling around his feet before rubbing her head against his leg.

 

“Thanks, everyone. You too, Kova.”

 

Keith said softly, smiling ruefully as he bent to lightly scratch the cat behind her ears.

 

“But as you already know, the current emperor is not my father. The Galra emperor who was kind enough to take me in when I was abandoned as an infant died over ten thousand years ago. The stories I’ve heard of him, even before he became a part of the paladins of old, paints a different picture from the Zarkon we know now. After being corrupted by too much exposure to quintessence, my father and the late empress were no longer themselves. They were as good as dead.”

 

Thick silence filled the room, before Keith continued.

 

“That’s why I’m going to do everything I can to stop him. That’s what my father- my _real_ father- would’ve wanted for his people.”

 

The prince spoke with a hint of nostalgia in his tone and a soft expression on his face, as if a dear memory had floated in his mind.

 

“And when this is all over, we’re going to find a new home for our people. The rest of the universe sees us as nothing but heartless conquerors, but we’re the only ones who know the truth. After Daibazaal was destroyed, the Galra have become homeless wanderers forever stranded in space. I want to change that. ”

 

“And you will.” Acxa spoke, conviction clear in her fierce eyes. “We’re going to make sure of it. I will devote my entire life to your cause, if I must.” She added with a smile.

 

“Yeah!” Ezor jumped. “Count me in! I believe in you, Keith!”

 

“A new home, huh… “ Zethrid smirked. “That doesn’t sound so bad at all. Right, Narti?”

 

They all turned to the silent one who simply nodded.

 

“All right everyone, let’s do what we came to do and get out of here.”

 

“Yes sir!”

 

Lotor was stunned by what he had just heard. The words were so hypnotic he felt as if he had been immobilized, until the cat looked his way and its luminous eyes snapped him out of his thoughts. Perhaps it was because he already had his mask and hood back on, he managed to remain hidden even though it seemed like they had made direct eye contact. Or perhaps she could sense that he meant Keith no harm, so Kova simply walked away from the prince and jumped back on Narti’s shoulder before everyone split up.

 

_‘Interesting… This is a truly unexpected development.’_

 

Indeed, it was quite a discovery to him. He took one last look at Keith’s profile from behind, marveling at how someone could carry a burden so big in such small shoulders. And all by himself, with no one but a small group of seemingly loyal followers.

 

As he navigated through the vents and towards the hangar to get out of there, he couldn’t get the voice and the forlorn face out of his mind. What the prince was trying to achieve was no easy task. He was like a tiny little firefly trying to light up the darkness in the vast outer space. But now that Lotor knew what the prince’s real intentions were, he also reckoned it would be child’s play to try to get the Blades of Marmora to form an alliance. Lotor didn’t understand why, but he was suddenly filled with the urge to see what Keith would look like if he truly smiled. But with the Blades on the prince’s side, it wouldn’t be long before Lotor could see it happen.

 

The End

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: I love, love, looove the story of the paladins of old. And among them, my favorite was Zarkon. Most people seem to think Galra automatically = violent, and this extends to Keith, whose temperamental side is often chalked up to him being Galra. But let’s not forget the Zarkon who strictly adhered to discipline, even telling off Alfor for running off and breaking formation exactly how Shiro would (and actually does) to Keith. The Zarkon who was softened by his first love. And the Zarkon who would do everything for Honerva even after the Altean alchemist was consumed by her own obsession for quintessence and all the knowledge, wisdom, and power it opened doors to.
> 
> When I watched Kral Zera, I also wondered what it would’ve been like if Keith had become emperor. Even when he was starting to have suspicions of his heritage pre-BoM episode, he clearly showed that he didn’t think all Galra were monsters. And Ulaz was a living example that proved it to him by sacrificing his own life, and so did the other Blades who died for their cause. Keith genuinely cares for the Galra, and I honestly believe he would’ve made an amazing emperor.


End file.
